GDC 2015: Survive the Ocean's Horrors In Narcosis

Of course just as I picked up a bundle of flares in a small storage room, the lights seemed to dim in the main chamber. David Chen, one of Narcosis' designers, then reminded me to hit the left bumper to use my knife.

They told me the demo wasn't supposed to be too scary, but I just about panicked anyway.

In my Oculus Rift demo of Narcosis, I fought off massive cuttlefish, nearly wet myself upon seeing a giant sea spider, and lit creepy corridors with my limited supply of flares — I enjoyed every second of it.

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In Narcosis, the protagonist is stranded alone on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean after an accident destroys an oceanic mining rig. He must find a way back to the surface before his industrial diving suit runs out of oxygen.

Aside from the basic synopsis, I didn't learn too much about the survival horror's story, but Narcosis creative lead Quentin De Beukelaer said that there will be collectibles that reveal more about the protagonist's relationship with his former crew.

In addition to fighting off angry, giant cuttlefish, I had to constantly watch my oxygen meter. Oxygen acts as a health bar, but as it is always depleting, it is the most important thing you'll have to find and watch in Narcosis. While checking this on a computer screen is just an ordinary glance at the meter, it was felt pretty cool with the Oculus controls. Looking down to see my hud, then back around me to explore my environment was awesome and immersive.

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The immersion intensified when I entered a dark corridor, or when I was attacked by a sea creature. During these moments, the protagonist will gradually enter a state of panic that increases his consumption of oxygen and can lead to him slowly blacking out. When this momentary panic happened, I felt so much more claustrophobic and insecure in the suit. I didn't ever reach the fail state, but you can run out of oxygen.

The protagonist didn't seem like he was panicking, but I certainly stopped breathing for a few seconds when a gigantic sea spider stood in between me and my way out of a room. There's something about not being able to look away from a screen that makes encounters like this so much more terrifying.

I didn't get to try Narcosis on PC, but I had a ton of fun with it on the Oculus Rift. Narcosis is scheduled to release for PC in late 2015.

Miranda Sanchez is an Associate Editor and a host of IGN Arena. You can check out her ramblings about anime, MOBAs, and cats on Twitter.